Jesse James Timeline

Jesse James

Just able barely to mount a horse and ride about a little in the spring of 1866, my life was threatened daily, and I was forced to go heavily armed. The whole country was then full of militia, robbing, plundering and killing.— Jesse James

December 28, 1841

Robert James and Zerelda Elizabeth Cole were married in Stamping Ground, Kentucky.

Perry Samuel, the illegitimate son of Dr. Archie Reuban Samuel is born out of wedlock by one of the slaves. The mulatto boy was raised as part of the Samuel family.

July, 1862

Frank joins William Clark Quantrill’s Raiders.

August 21, 1863

William Clark Quantrill led a massacre of Lawrence, Kansas in the early morning hours . His raiders tore through the Free-State town, robbing two banks, looting other buildings before setting them on fire, and killed more than 180 men, women, and children. Frank was a member of the Raiders and was part of the barbaric attack. There is some doubt as to whether Jesse was involved; however, he was said to have bragged about it later.

October 18, 1863

Fannie Quantrill Samuel born to Zerelda and Rueben.

Late, 1863

A party of Unionsoldiers invaded the Samuel farm looking for information about the location of Quantrill’s camp. Jesse, who was just fifteen at the time, was questioned, then horse-whipped when he refused to answer the soldiers’ questions. Dr. Samuel, who also denied knowing where the raider’s camp was located, was dragged from his house and was repeatedly hanged from a tree in the yard. Somehow, the doctor managed to survive the interrogation and torture.

1864

Jesse joins “Bloody” Bill Anderson’s guerilla forces at the age of sixteen.

September 27, 1864

William “Bloody Bill” Anderson led a raid on Centralia, Missouri where a gang of more than 100 guerillas robbed the passengers of an incoming train. Twenty-four unarmed and wounded Union soldiers were dragged from the train by the frenzied ruffians and were murdered. The band of guerrillas was followed by an experienced Federal Infantry. About three miles south of Centralia, the Union forces were bushwhacked by the band and were nearly annihilated. Over 120 federal troops were killed. Only three of the guerrilla forces were reported to have been killed in the battle. Both Frank and Jesse were part of battle. Jesse is said to have killed Union Major A.V. Johnson, and is “credited” with taking the lives of seven other men on that tragic day. It is disputed that Frank and Jesse took part in the massacre of the unarmed Union soldiers earlier in the day.

October 1864

“Bloody” Bill Anderson’s guerrillas are ambushed by Union soldiers at Independence, Missouri. Several guerrillas are killed. Bill Anderson is killed himself and is decapitated later that day. Jesse James and a few other guerrillas escape.

May 10, 1865

Quantrill’s Raiders are ambushed by Union soldiers, where many are killed and captured. Quantrill is shot twice, one of which is ends up fatal when he dies in June. One of the captured guerrillas is Jim Younger, who recently joined the guerrillas.

May 1865

Jesse rode into Lexington, Missouri carrying a white flag. He was shot in the chest when he attempted to surrender by occupying Union troops. Surviving the attack, he crawled to safety.

Early February 1866

Jesse and Frank James meet with Cole Younger to plan their first bank robbery.

February 13, 1866

Frank James, Cole and Jim Younger and nine more members of the gang robbed the Clay County Savings Bank in Liberty, Missouri of $62,000. Upon their retreat from the bank, a 17-year-old boy was killed. This was the first robbery of the gang and the first daytime robbery of any U.S. bank during peacetime.

July 26, 1866

Archie Peyton Samuel born to Zerelda and Rueben.

October 30, 1866

Five members of the James-Younger Gang robbed The Alexander Mitchell and Co. Bank in Lexington, Missouri making of with $2,000. No one was injured. Though Frank and Jesse were said to have part of the robbery, other reports place them out of the state at the time.

1866-1867

John Newman Edward contributes to the fame of Jesse James and his gang by writing glorifying articles and “dime novels.”

March 2, 1867

The James-Younger Gang robbed the Judge John McClain Banking House of Savannah, Missouri.

May 22, 1867

With 12 members, the James-Younger Gang made off with $4,000 from the Hughes and Wasson Bank of Richmond, Missouri. Three men were shot and killed.

March 20, 1868

Credited with getting away with approximately $14,000, the gang hit the Nimrod Long Banking Co. of Russellville, Kentucky. One person was wounded but there were no fatalities.

December 7, 1869

The James-Younger Gang hold up Davies County Savings Bank of Gallatin, Missouri, killing cashier John W. Sheets and wounding clerk William McDowell as he ran for the door. Making off with only $700, a $3,000 reward is offered for their capture.

June 3, 1871

Four members of the James-Younger Gang the Ocobock Brothers’ Bank of Corydon, Iowa taking $6,000. No one was injured.

April 29, 1872

The James-Younger Gang, including 5 riders, robbed the Bank of Columbia in Columbia, Kentucky, killing cashier R.A.C. Martin in the process. The gang made off with $6,000.

September 26, 1872

Jesse, Frank, and one other member of their gang robbed the Kansas City Exposition Ticket Office at the fair of $8,000. One girl was shot.

May 27, 1873

Four members of the James-Younger Gang stole $4,100 from the Ste. Genevieve Savings Bank of St. Genevieve, Missouri. There were no injuries.

July 21, 1873

The James-Younger Gang robbed their first train near Adair, Iowa. During the robbery, they wrecked the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Train and overturned the engine. The train engineer died in the accident and the gang made off with $3,000 from passengers and funds retrieved from the express car.

January 15, 1874

Jesse James and four members of the gang robbed their first stagecoach near Hot Springs, Arkansas, taking cash and jewels valued at approximately $3,000. No one was injured. After Jesse’s death, a good watch taken from one of the stage passengers was found among his effects.

January 31, 1874

Five to seven members of the gang held up the St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad train at Gads Hill, Missouri making off with $12,000. No one was injured.

March 10, 1874

Pinkerton agent Joseph Whicher arrives in Clay County, Missouri. He plans to go to the James farm and become acquainted with Jesse and Frank; then capture them. He is advised not to do this but attempts it anyway. The next day, his body is discovered, shot three times.

The Waverly-Lexington Omnibus Stagecoach was blamed on the James Gang; however, there is some question as to they were actually responsible. No one was injured.

December 7, 1874

The Tishomingo Savings Bank robbery in Corinth, Mississippi is blamed on the James-Younger Gang. $10,000 was taken from the bank and no one was injured. However; the blame for this robbery seems highly unlikely, as the James-Younger Gang robbed a train in Kansas just the very next day.

December 8, 1874

The Kansas Pacific Railroad in Muncie, Kansas was held up by the James-Younger Gang, who made off with $55,000. No one was injured.

January 26, 1875

Thinking that the James Brothers were hiding out at the family farm, six Pinkerton agents surrounded their mother’s home near Kearney, Missouri. In an effort to lure them out, the agents tossed a smoke bomb into the house. However, Archie Samuel, thinking it was a loose stick from the fire, tossed it “back” into the fireplace when it exploded. The explosion killed the young boy and took the lower part of Zerelda’s arm off.

On Jesse’s 28th birthday, the James-Younger Gang robbed the Huntington Bank in Huntington, West Virginia making off with somewhere between $10,000-$20,000. One of their gang was shot during the robbery.

July 7, 1876

The Missouri-Pacific Railroad train in Rockey Cut, Missouri was robbed of $15,000 by the James-Younger Gang.

September 7, 1876

In the infamous failed attempt to to rob the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota the James-Younger Gang was destroyed. Bank cashier Heyman refused to open the safe and ducked down. Angered, Jesse put a pistol to his head and shot him. The shot was heard beyond the bank and when the bank alarm began to go off the Northfield citizens opened fire upon the gang. Charley Pitts and Bill Chadwell were killed. Cole, Jim and Bob Younger were badly wounded but managed to escape. However, the were captured just two weeks later. Frank and Jesse escaped back to Missouri, unharmed.

February 6, 1878

Robert Franklin James, Frank and Annie’s only child, is born at the Walton Farm.

Their last train robbery was that of the Chicago and Alton train at Blue Cut, near Glendale, Missouri. The gang made off with $3000 in cash and jewelry taken from the passengers.

December 24, 1881

A Tom Howard (a Jesse James alias) and family rent a house on Lafayette Street in St. Joseph, Missouri.

April 3, 1882

Bob Ford with his brother Charles enter Jesse’s home at about 8:27am. When Jesse turns to straighten a picture on the wall, Bob shoots him just below the right ear, killing him instantly. His body hit the wall then fell to the floor lying on his back. Within no time at all word quickly spread throughout the town that Jesse James had just been assassinated.

Late April, 1882

The distraught Zee James is forced to sell almost all of her and her husband’s possessions to earn money and she and her children move in with her brother in Kansas City.

October 5, 1882

Frank James surrenders to Missouri Governor Thomas Crittendon.

May 6, 1884

Charles Ford, scared to death of Frank James, has been on the run ever since his brother Bob killed Jesse. Moving constantly from town to town and changing his name several times, he finally gave up and committed suicide.

2 thoughts on “Jesse James Timeline”

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I’m proud to say that Jesse and his wife Zerelda are both my direct ancestors on my mom’s side. My great grandma was a Mims. Her great grandma was a James. The Mims and James intermarried at least two times making me a direct descendant of both. The James boys as well as William Quantrill and Bloody Bill Anderson were never outlaws. They were teenagers from well to do families who got caught up in a Civil War. People from Kansas were raiding Missouri, burning houses, stealing livestock, murdering men and women and these boys formed gangs to defend their homes and families. When the war was over, Jesse tried to surrender with a white flag and was shot. Since they wouldn’t let him surrender, the gang started robbing and killing. After Jesse’s death, Frank was able to surrender to the governor of Missouri.